Ford Not The Only Victim In Gem Case

Suspects Stole From Dozens, Officers Say

January 29, 1998|By JIM Di PAOLA and MIGUEL GARCILAZO Staff Writers

PALM BEACH — Dozens of burglary victims from three South Florida counties began viewing a horde of gems confiscated from a Stuart broker accused of fencing some of the jewelry stolen from the Palm Beach mansion of Kathleen Ford.

Town of Palm Beach police officers said they began interviewing up to 40 crime victims from Port St. Lucie, Jupiter Island and Plantation on Wednesday in an effort to ascertain how many of an estimated 500 pieces of jewelry recovered from the home of Barry Lee Marshall were stolen.

A federal magistrate sent Marshall to jail on Tuesday without bail, ruling that he broke the conditions of his bond when he gave FBI agents some of the stolen Ford jewels but did not disclose he had other stolen property hidden in a secret compartment in his home.

Marshall's wife, Anita, pointed out a secret hiding place beneath a set of stairs in the couple's home to police and FBI agents. Hundreds of pieces of jewelry were seized.

The FBI and Palm Beach officers testified on Wednesday that at least 10 percent of those items had been identified by crime victims as their stolen property.

As the 51-year-old jewelry dealer was led from the West Palm Beach federal courthouse in handcuffs, Palm Beach detectives showed some of the 1,200 pieces of jewelry seized from Marshall and his co-defendant Alvaro Valdez.

Authorities said Valdez stole the Ford jewels and Marshall fenced some to dealers in Georgia.

As federal prosecutors try the men in connection with the Jan. 11, 1997 Ford burglary, Palm Beach officers hope to use the time to build state cases against Valdez and Marshall.

``Because Valdez is (already) being held on the federal charges, we are continuing to identify more victims _ and pursue our own investigation,'' said Palm Beach Police spokeswoman Janet Kinsella. ``We've increased the number from 19 to 25 (victims).''

Authorities said police in Naples and Ocean Ridge are investigating Valdez in connection with several open cases in those jurisdictions. Both defendants are scheduled to return to federal court in West Palm Beach on Feb. 5.